I was there a month ago and felt safer than most cities in the States. Your probably far more likely to die from terrorism in NYC or Washington DC than anywhere in Mexico.

You’re probably also more likely to get struck by lightning and win the lottery in the same day than getting blown up by a terrorist but hey keep watching that cable news and fear everything outside the safety of your couch.

+1. Look up the crime statistics in the top 10 places in the US, they are better than Mexico!

I also was worried but had 0 problems on a trip to Cabo San Lucas recently. Do exercise caution but don’t let it ruin your trip.

I also think it’s always good to keep a little bit of cash on you in case you get mugged (including the US). Good to have something to let the person save face and not feel a need to hurt you. “Here take the $50, I don’t need it, no worries.” In case that doesn’t work, then I am relying on my running followed by Kung Fu training

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. - Thich Nhat Hanh

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It

Meh. That statement is in itself arrogant and anti-intellectual. I get the sense of it. I enjoy travel myself and do find it enlightening. But...

To say that you need to personally physically experience something in order to have an accurate opinion of it is not true.

The reverse is also not true. There have been any number of atrocious, demeaning comments made by British royalty about Africans after they had traveled extensively there. Travel seems to reinforce bias and prejudice in some people.

Travel is what you make of it, like anything else.

+1.

The other interesting aspect of this is that traveling to a place where it is not safe to really mix with the locals - where it is recommended that you take prearranged transportation directly to your foreigner-filled resort, and not venture elsewhere - how is that mind-expanding? I have a friend who goes to Mexico every year and does exactly this. I would rather travel to a place where I would be free to roam.

The other interesting aspect of this is that traveling to a place where it is not safe to really mix with the locals - where it is recommended that you take prearranged transportation directly to your foreigner-filled resort, and not venture elsewhere - how is that mind-expanding? I have a friend who goes to Mexico every year and does exactly this. I would rather travel to a place where I would be free to roam.

I feel the same way. I travel to experience the culture and do things outside of what I can do near home. I don't really understand the masses of people who literally hang out at the pool and drink themselves silly all day for a week, and don't even venture out to eat because they got an all-inclusive deal. Doesn't seem much different from what you could do at a cheap motel in California or Florida...

The other interesting aspect of this is that traveling to a place where it is not safe to really mix with the locals - where it is recommended that you take prearranged transportation directly to your foreigner-filled resort, and not venture elsewhere - how is that mind-expanding? I have a friend who goes to Mexico every year and does exactly this. I would rather travel to a place where I would be free to roam.

We've roamed freely in Tulum & Puerto Morelos many times without a single negative encounter; it's likely safer than driving to work everyday in a major metropolitan city. It is not necessary to vacation in an AI fortress although that's where you'll find most Americans.

The other interesting aspect of this is that traveling to a place where it is not safe to really mix with the locals - where it is recommended that you take prearranged transportation directly to your foreigner-filled resort, and not venture elsewhere - how is that mind-expanding? I have a friend who goes to Mexico every year and does exactly this. I would rather travel to a place where I would be free to roam.

We've roamed freely in Tulum & Puerto Morelos many times without a single negative encounter; it's likely safer than driving to work everyday in a major metropolitan city. It is not necessary to vacation in an AI fortress although that's where you'll find most Americans.

90% of our travel is free form. By that I mean we stay in a AirBnB, or in town hotel. We check out local restaurants. I like being able to eat simply most of the time, but choose to go upscale when we want. There are tons of great restaurants in the area. If I want a drink, I usually get a Bohemia or Modelo, and they're about a dollar. If in Playa, we head down to Mamita's or one of the other beach clubs a few times during our stay. We've taken the ferry to Cozumel, and the last few trips started using the local bus system for our airport transport and to go down to Tulum. There are people from all over the world in Playa del Carmen, Tulum, etc. We are in our 60s, and fit right in. Contrary to one of the earlier threads, I did not see many college age partiers. Maybe during school vacations, it is different, but we usually go in January or February. Cancun seems more of a heavy party town.

I think AI is a good choice for a lot of people. AIs are often a good deal, packaging all you can eat food / drinks with the resort and airfare. And, honestly, there are many people who don't travel well, and worry when they are outside of the resort. They're uncomfortable being in a foreign culture and not knowing the language. They really just want a cheap warm weather get away close to the beach and the AI amenities.

TRAVEL RESTRICTION UPDATE PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO
- Due to an ongoing security threat, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is revising its travel restrictions to Playa del Carmen for U.S. government personnel.

U.S. government personnel are prohibited from travel to Centro, Calica, Gonzalo Guerrero, Quintas del Carmen, and Villas del Carmen neighborhoods of Playa del Carmen. These neighborhoods are bordered by Avenida Benito Juarez, 50 Avenida Sur (Highway 307), and Calle 34 Norte. U.S. citizens should avoid those neighborhoods until further notice.

U.S. government personnel are authorized to travel to resort areas in Riviera Maya including those near Playa del Carmen that are outside the restricted neighborhoods of this Alert. Absent additional changes in the security situation, the U.S. Consular Agency in Playa del Carmen will reopen for normal operations on Monday, March 12.

- The circumstances surrounding the security threat affecting the above neighborhoods is separate from the threat against ferries operating between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.

U.S. government personnel are still prohibited from using ferry services between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel until further notice. U.S. citizens should not use ferry services operating between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.

You should put your concerns in the specific context. If there is a credible warning against any tourism because of violence directed towards tourists where you are going, you should be very concerned. If there is violence in the general area between drug cartels, you might still go without being overly concerned but stay in the resort and other relatively safe areas as opposed to venturing downtown to hang out in the plaza at night.

It's no different here. There has been a lot of crime and violence including mass shootings and other forms of terrorism in the U.S. but people still go about their daily business including going to churches, schools, night clubs, and music festivals. However, you might want to stay out of certain neighborhoods in large cities after dark, avoid areas where there are demonstrations by racist groups, and if you live in Austin, not open any unexpected packages delivered to your house.

You should put your concerns in the specific context. If there is a credible warning against any tourism because of violence directed towards tourists where you are going, you should be very concerned. If there is violence in the general area between drug cartels, you might still go without being overly concerned but stay in the resort and other relatively safe areas as opposed to venturing downtown to hang out in the plaza at night.

It's no different here. There has been a lot of crime and violence including mass shootings and other forms of terrorism in the U.S. but people still go about their daily business including going to churches, schools, night clubs, and music festivals. However, you might want to stay out of certain neighborhoods in large cities after dark, avoid areas where there are demonstrations by racist groups, and if you live in Austin, not open any unexpected packages delivered to your house.

This is absolutely true. The difficulty for the traveler is identifying "bad" areas. We all know what one looks like in the US, but identifying a bad neighborhood in a 2nd/3rd world country can be difficult to do against a backdrop of lower level living standards.

If you want to get really into the weeds, the book Left of Bang by Patrick Van Horne goes into some detail on identifying problematic situations. IIRC (and I'm probably a bit off) the military found that the majority of casualties occurred during the first 90 days a unit was in Iraq or Afghanistan. It took this amount of time before soldiers could begin to accurately identify pre-attack anomalies against the background rhythm of life in an unfamiliar country. And this was with pre-deployment train ups and some experienced soldiers mixed in.

I would imagine everyone on this board is reasonably comfortable identifying a bad neighborhood in their home country. In a foreign country where you might not even speak the language it is a little more daunting. I roamed around Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for a few days on my own and I can't say whether I wandered into any bad neighborhoods or not. It was a 3rd world country. Most of it looked bad and poverty stricken except for the oases of the Western brand name hotels.

I would venture a guess that the crime stats coming from the Mexican police... well, maybe not the most reliable information to count on. That being said, the trip is booked.. There is a lot of stuff going on down there right now. Go, be careful, exercise an abundance of caution, and try to enjoy yourselves. But I wouldn't go back, not until it sorts itself out down there (if it ever does...). The point of a vacation is to relax and de-stress. If you're worrying about where you're going or who you're dealing with all the time, or what you're eating/drinking, well, that doesn't really sound like much of a vacation to me.

The difficulty for the traveler is identifying "bad" areas. We all know what one looks like in the US, but identifying a bad neighborhood in a 2nd/3rd world country can be difficult to do against a backdrop of lower level living standards.

The difficulty for the traveler is identifying "bad" areas. We all know what one looks like in the US, but identifying a bad neighborhood in a 2nd/3rd world country can be difficult to do against a backdrop of lower level living standards.

Kinda sorta, but not what I was getting at. You could be victimized outside of those neighborhoods or not victimized in those neighborhoods depending on your knowledge of the society. Is it normal for neighborhood kids to be playing outside at a certain time of day? If they aren't is it because they are inside to avoid imminent trouble known only to the neighborhood locals? Is it normal for a person in a certain style of dress to approach you and ask you xyz or is it a set up? How aggressive is normal for a beggar? Do you know the area well enough to know if a cab driver is taking you into a bad neighborhood by a circuitous route? For that matter, how much personal space is normal in a particular culture and under what conditions does it change? What type of eye contact is problematic?

I could type out questions like this forever. These are the things that we all know about our home country but don't in a foreign country.

How much that bothers you depends on your personality I guess. Some people have more tolerance for the unknown.

Last edited by GCD on Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The difficulty for the traveler is identifying "bad" areas. We all know what one looks like in the US, but identifying a bad neighborhood in a 2nd/3rd world country can be difficult to do against a backdrop of lower level living standards.

Kinda sorta, but not what I was getting at. You could be victimized outside of those neighborhoods or not victimized in those neighborhoods depending on your knowledge of the society. Is it normal for neighborhood kids to be playing outside at a certain time of day? If they aren't is it because they are inside to avoid imminent trouble known only to the neighborhood locals? Is it normal for a person in a certain style of dress to approach you and ask you xyz or is it a set up? How aggressive is normal for a beggar? Do you know the area well enough to know if a cab driver is taking you into a bad neighborhood by a circuitous route? For that matter, how much personal space is normal in a particular culture and under what conditions does it change? What type of eye contact is problematic?

I could type out questions like this forever. These are the things that we all know about our home country but don't in a foreign country.

How much that bothers you depends on your personality I guess. Some people have more tolerance for the unknown.

The OP is discussing a specific issue of recent violence in Playa del Carmen, and for that, State Department's advisories are the primary source. If he were concerned about traveling outside the U.S. in general, he would not have planned this trip.

To your last point, international travel is an iterative process. You start out cautiously, but the more you travel the better sense you develop for what's safe and what's not. Traveling builds up one's tolerance; staying at home reduces it.

Victoria

WINNER of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. |
Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)

While the Dept of State warnings are very useful source of information I find it is also good to compare what other countries tell their citizens. Since English is my primary language I look at other Anglosphere countries are telling their citizens (UK/Canada/NZ/Aus). Oftentimes this gives you a more nuanced view of the risks.

DW and I have traveled to Mexico perhaps 1 1/2 dozen times over 30 years and live near the border. Great people, lousy politics.

Anecdotally we note a decline vis-à-vis in safety, cleanliness, and the overall condition of the people. Of course there are exceptions like Cancun, Cozumel, where Canadian and US visitors spend a lot of money. We speak enough Spanish to get by and try to engage with the locals, there isn't the sense of optimism we encountered years ago.

On our last trip a situation involving kids, guns, people claiming to be federales, was the turning point. We'll spend our money elsewhere. We've enjoyed the Caymans, Bonaire, Hawaii, Florida and Bahamas more.

Mexico is nearly a failed state in that the government can't provide safety or basics like clean water and sanitation. "La Mordida," the bribe, ( " the bite") is still alive and well in Mexico despite claims to the contrary.

Go and enjoy it, the history, beaches, food, are worth it. Do your due diligence,maintain situational awareness, put your wallet in a zippered pocket, then decide if you want to go back. If safety is a concern, stick to the tourist areas, watch what and who you drink with, where you travel.

DW and I have traveled to Mexico perhaps 1 1/2 dozen times over 30 years and live near the border. Great people, lousy politics.

Anecdotally we note a decline vis-à-vis in safety, cleanliness, and the overall condition of the people. Of course there are exceptions like Cancun, Cozumel, where Canadian and US visitors spend a lot of money. We speak enough Spanish to get by and try to engage with the locals, there isn't the sense of optimism we encountered years ago.

On our last trip a situation involving kids, guns, people claiming to be federales, was the turning point. We'll spend our money elsewhere. We've enjoyed the Caymans, Bonaire, Hawaii, Florida and Bahamas more.

Mexico is nearly a failed state in that the government can't provide safety or basics like clean water and sanitation. "La Mordida," the bribe, ( " the bite") is still alive and well in Mexico despite claims to the contrary.

Go and enjoy it, the history, beaches, food, are worth it. Do your due diligence,maintain situational awareness, put your wallet in a zippered pocket, then decide if you want to go back. If safety is a concern, stick to the tourist areas, watch what and who you drink with, where you travel.

When the liquor issue stories started hitting the local paper, seeing people die, pass-out and get sick just from having a cocktail in a hotel bar, that was enough for me. If you can't drink the water or the booze, what else is there?

When the liquor issue stories started hitting the local paper, seeing people die, pass-out and get sick just from having a cocktail in a hotel bar, that was enough for me. If you can't drink the water or the booze, what else is there?

Do you have any links to such stories? I'm not aware of anyone dying from having a cocktail in a hotel bar on the Mayan Coast (or anywhere in Mexico).

There was a big story that reviews through (Trip advisor etc.) were deleting reviews that involved alcohol, rapes, doping etc. at these large all inclusives. There were numerous tourists reviews saying their review was deleted and that doing this caused a false sense of security at these places. I happened to read about this approximately 5-6 months ago. You might try and google it. I just don't remember exactly where I read about it.

There was a big story that reviews through (Trip advisor etc.) were deleting reviews that involved alcohol, rapes, doping etc. at these large all inclusives. There were numerous tourists reviews saying their review was deleted and that doing this caused a false sense of security at these places. I happened to read about this approximately 5-6 months ago. You might try and google it. I just don't remember exactly where I read about it.

I’ve travelled to Mexico 1-3x a year since 1972 and have never had any real problems. It’s a federal system and the issues vary widely from state to state. In Sinaloa, kidnapping was a brief issue in the 1980s but then the cartel eliminated it as it brought too much negative publicity and police scrutiny.

Foreigners were never the primary targets, either: bad business risk to take a flyer on a random gringo as opposed to the local successful business owner. Very rarely, tourists were caught in the crossfire when in disputed turf, or when they wandered into fields devoted to illicit agriculture.

Bring your common sense with you and you should be just fine. I highly recommend leaving the resort to see some of the ruins nearby, otherwise why bother? A tour guide in those instances is a worthwhile investment. Door-to-door service and education. The concierge will take care of everything so you can just enjoy your well deserved vacation.

When the liquor issue stories started hitting the local paper, seeing people die, pass-out and get sick just from having a cocktail in a hotel bar, that was enough for me. If you can't drink the water or the booze, what else is there?

Do you have any links to such stories? I'm not aware of anyone dying from having a cocktail in a hotel bar on the Mayan Coast (or anywhere in Mexico).

I posted this link earlier in this thread as well. Several deaths. Pretty comprehensive and scary overview.

There was a big story that reviews through (Trip advisor etc.) were deleting reviews that involved alcohol, rapes, doping etc. at these large all inclusives. There were numerous tourists reviews saying their review was deleted and that doing this caused a false sense of security at these places. I happened to read about this approximately 5-6 months ago. You might try and google it. I just don't remember exactly where I read about it.

To the OP: The above is the link to the Trip Advisor travel forum for Playa del Carmen. There are 20 to 40 posts daily regarding staying in Playa del Carmen. There are lots of current posts from travellers asking about safety as well as a Top Questions link to safety which is more dated and general, but still useful. This is a very helpful site that allows you to view the full gamut of common questions people ask before heading to the Playa. If you go, I hope you enjoy your stay.

To the OP: The above is the link to the Trip Advisor travel forum for Playa del Carmen. There are 20 to 40 posts daily regarding staying in Playa del Carmen. There are lots of current posts from travellers asking about safety as well as a Top Questions link to safety which is more dated and general, but still useful. This is a very helpful site that allows you to view the full gamut of common questions people ask before heading to the Playa. If you go, I hope you enjoy your stay.

To the OP: The above is the link to the Trip Advisor travel forum for Playa del Carmen. There are 20 to 40 posts daily regarding staying in Playa del Carmen. There are lots of current posts from travellers asking about safety as well as a Top Questions link to safety which is more dated and general, but still useful. This is a very helpful site that allows you to view the full gamut of common questions people ask before heading to the Playa. If you go, I hope you enjoy your stay.

Is this the one that TripAdvisor deleted comments from?

Just to be clear - the post was deleted 7 years ago. Here is part of their 11/1/17 response when they replied to the news story.

We apologize to the sexual assault victim reported on in the article, who had her forum post removed seven years ago on TripAdvisor. At the time, we had a policy whereby we judged content to be in breach of our guidelines if it did not adhere to family-friendly language. More than seven years ago that meant all language needed to be G-rated. A few years ago, we changed that policy to allow more descriptive reviews on the site about first-hand accounts of serious incidents like rape or assault. We recognized then that our previous guidelines went too far in preventing information like this from being shared.

Over the last several years, this policy change has yielded many first-hand accounts of serious incidents being published on the platform. A simple search of TripAdvisor will show numerous reviews from travelers over the last several years who wrote about their first-hand experiences that include matters of robbery or theft, assault and rape. We believe any first-hand experience should be posted to our site as a means to communicate to other consumers looking for information on where they should travel.

When we were made aware that this post had been removed under our previous guidelines, we republished it in line with our revised policy.

We are horrified that this victim experienced this assault on her vacation in Mexico, and other travelers should be aware of this incident.

To the OP: The above is the link to the Trip Advisor travel forum for Playa del Carmen. There are 20 to 40 posts daily regarding staying in Playa del Carmen. There are lots of current posts from travellers asking about safety as well as a Top Questions link to safety which is more dated and general, but still useful. This is a very helpful site that allows you to view the full gamut of common questions people ask before heading to the Playa. If you go, I hope you enjoy your stay.

Is this the one that TripAdvisor deleted comments from?

Just to be clear - the post was deleted 7 years ago. Here is part of their 11/1/17 response when they replied to the news story.

We apologize to the sexual assault victim reported on in the article, who had her forum post removed seven years ago on TripAdvisor. At the time, we had a policy whereby we judged content to be in breach of our guidelines if it did not adhere to family-friendly language. More than seven years ago that meant all language needed to be G-rated. A few years ago, we changed that policy to allow more descriptive reviews on the site about first-hand accounts of serious incidents like rape or assault. We recognized then that our previous guidelines went too far in preventing information like this from being shared.

Over the last several years, this policy change has yielded many first-hand accounts of serious incidents being published on the platform. A simple search of TripAdvisor will show numerous reviews from travelers over the last several years who wrote about their first-hand experiences that include matters of robbery or theft, assault and rape. We believe any first-hand experience should be posted to our site as a means to communicate to other consumers looking for information on where they should travel.

When we were made aware that this post had been removed under our previous guidelines, we republished it in line with our revised policy.

We are horrified that this victim experienced this assault on her vacation in Mexico, and other travelers should be aware of this incident.

The warning site on the state dept page lists several level 4 states and says do not travel there because of the crime. But Quintana Roo is at level 2, as is Mexico in general, and by the way, most of the major tourist areas of Europe.

+1.

Thanks for pointing that out. The travel advisory just asks for an increased level of caution. As you point out, that is the same level as it is for UK, Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

Thanks for the link, and article. Frankly it's sad but not surprising. We began using TripAdvisor way before it was "cool" (that only means it was new) and yes that dates us I expect. We travel extensively - Intl. etc, etc, and MDW was a travel expert in different TI forums. Today we use TI as only one source of information.. as there are so many others.. In retrospect, when TI was new it was clear and in a way innocent. As valuation grew the innocence diminished..and that is potentially an understatement. We still see TI as a good site for a number of reasons, however Caveat emptor never had so much meaning, and I don't mean about how much something costs.

So, Slainte! and thanks for the link. Travel safe, be smart, have fun.

Thanks for the link, and article. Frankly it's sad but not surprising. We began using TripAdvisor way before it was "cool" (that only means it was new) and yes that dates us I expect. We travel extensively - Intl. etc, etc, and MDW was a travel expert in different TI forums. Today we use TI as only one source of information.. as there are so many others.. In retrospect, when TI was new it was clear and in a way innocent. As valuation grew the innocence diminished..and that is potentially an understatement. We still see TI as a good site for a number of reasons, however Caveat emptor never had so much meaning, and I don't mean about how much something costs.

So, Slainte! and thanks for the link. Travel safe, be smart, have fun.

It's not just TripAdvisor that does that. The whole online comment/reviews thing world wide is censored and gamed. Yelp Reviews. Amazon reviews. Manipulated trending topics on Twitter. Etc.

Do they delete posts related to crimes?

Define "they".

If something can be deleted that goes against a narrative that is trying to be crafted, anything and everything will be deleted to assure a narrative is successful. 1984 is real. There is a huge cover up going on the in the UK right now, been going on for years. I can't even say what it is because I'd probably be banned from this board. It's so bad, even commenting on who the perpetrators are on Twitter if you are a UK citizen will get the cops to show up at your door. And the BBC is completely silent on it.

If you want a different perspective, read what foreign country state departments recommend about travel to the US! It's funny how violent the Europeans think America is. Maybe they're right...

Majority of the violent crime in the US is in a relatively small amount of zip codes. And none of them are tourist destinations.

I've forgotten which country it was, but a few years back some handwringing European nation warned homosexuals against visiting any state in the Southern US. I can't cite to it and it's not important enough to me to dig up a link.

spent time recently in Cabo, San Miguel de Allende and Cancun area. My thoughts (worth about a penny): i've felt more unsafe in the states than Mexico most times. By and large Mexicans are kind and decent people. THAT SAID, if you find yourself in trouble in Mexico, you're in real trouble. Whereas in the states, you can reasonably trust the police force, there is no municipal police force in Mexico for the most part. That's the main issue. But, if you're home before dark, very unlikely you'll have anything to be concerned about. Personally, i love Mexico. I'll be back there in April. We go there to rest and they come here to work!

It's not just TripAdvisor that does that. The whole online comment/reviews thing world wide is censored and gamed. Yelp Reviews. Amazon reviews. Manipulated trending topics on Twitter. Etc.

Do they delete posts related to crimes?

Define "they".

If something can be deleted that goes against a narrative that is trying to be crafted, anything and everything will be deleted to assure a narrative is successful. 1984 is real. There is a huge cover up going on the in the UK right now, been going on for years. I can't even say what it is because I'd probably be banned from this board. It's so bad, even commenting on who the perpetrators are on Twitter if you are a UK citizen will get the cops to show up at your door. And the BBC is completely silent on it.

It's not just TripAdvisor that does that. The whole online comment/reviews thing world wide is censored and gamed. Yelp Reviews. Amazon reviews. Manipulated trending topics on Twitter. Etc.

Do they delete posts related to crimes?

Define "they".

If something can be deleted that goes against a narrative that is trying to be crafted, anything and everything will be deleted to assure a narrative is successful. 1984 is real. There is a huge cover up going on the in the UK right now, been going on for years. I can't even say what it is because I'd probably be banned from this board. It's so bad, even commenting on who the perpetrators are on Twitter if you are a UK citizen will get the cops to show up at your door. And the BBC is completely silent on it.

Que the Twilight Zone music....

No. It's more like boglehead mods will get mad at me for posting something "political". Then I get banned.

I would purchase kidnapping insurance on all persons going to mexico. In the event that you are kidnapped they will negotiate and pay your ransom. Have a safe trip and hope you or your family will need to use it!

To the OP, if you're still reading. They lifted the alert referenced earlier.

Location: Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Event: As a result of recent incidents in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Mexican municipal, state, and federal entities have put into place new security procedures in tourist areas.

Effective immediately, U.S. government personnel are permitted to travel to all parts of Playa del Carmen.

Effective immediately, U.S. government personnel are permitted to use ferry services between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.

As noted in our Mexico Travel Advisory for the state of Quintana Roo, U.S. citizens should exercise increased caution due to crime. According to Government of Mexico statistics, the state experienced an increase in homicide rates compared to the same period in 2016. While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted, criminal organization assassinations, turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Shooting incidents injuring or killing bystanders have occurred.

I would purchase kidnapping insurance on all persons going to mexico. In the event that you are kidnapped they will negotiate and pay your ransom. Have a safe trip and hope you or your family will need to use it!

So if I take the "economy" kidnapping policy, do they only cut off one finger, then release me?